Every child has the right to a fair chance in life. Leaving no child behind is both a moral imperative and a strategic priority for the development of inclusive, sustainable and stable societies everywhere. In 2015, UNICEF worked with partners around the world to make that fair chance a reality.

The global terrorist threat continued to evolve rapidly in 2015, becoming increasingly decentralized and diffuse. Terrorist groups continued to exploit an absence of credible and effective state institutions, where avenues for free and peaceful expression of opinion were blocked, justice systems lacked credibility, and where security force abuses and government corruption went unchecked.

The month saw Venezuela’s political, economic and humanitarian crisis worsen amid heightened tensions between the government and opposition, a situation which could lead to state collapse and regional destabilisation. Another major setback in electing a new president in Haiti prompted fears of further civil unrest. In West Africa, deadly violence in central Mali and south-east Nigeria spiked, while a power struggle in Guinea-Bissau led to a dangerous standoff.

Greece - IOM Greece has published a report based on interviews with 1,206 unaccompanied child migrants in Greece. Some 508 said that they would not consider returning to their countries of origin because it was their intention to reach a northern European country and 282 expressed the wish to return back to their country of origin. The remainder initially expressed willingness to return home but later changed their minds and decided to stay in Greece.

The month saw fighting escalate again in Syria and Afghanistan, and erupt in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenian-backed separatists and Azerbaijani forces. In Bangladesh, election violence and killings by extremist groups showed how new heights of government-opposition rivalry and state repression have benefitted violent political party wings and extremist groups alike. Political tensions intensified in Iraq and Macedonia, and security forces severely supressed opposition protests in the Republic of Congo and Gambia.

Since 2007, Generations For Peace has trained 8,920 volunteers from 50 countries, and with our support, volunteer-led programmes have reached 229,020 children, youth, and adults in communities facing different forms of violence. Our cascading model, in which volunteers we have trained directly (1st generation) go on to train other 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and even up to 6th generation volunteers in their communities, increases our reach and reinforces the sustainability of our efforts.

The month saw violent extremist movements, including the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-linked groups, carry out major deadly attacks in Turkey, Pakistan, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia and Belgium. In Libya, the arrival of Prime Minister Serraj in Tripoli despite warnings from multiple factions could lead to further destabilisation. Meanwhile in Central Africa, political violence rose in Burundi and could break out in Chad around the 10 April presidential election.

The month saw conflict continue to rage in Turkey’s south east between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), looking likely to further escalate in March. Afghanistan and Somalia both saw armed insurgencies capture new territories. In Africa, political tensions rose in Chad, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, while in Venezuela, deadlock between the opposition-held parliament and government has brought the country closer to political and economic implosion.

The month saw an intensification of Yemen’s war, amid heightened regional rivalries between Saudi Arabia and Iran complicating prospects for peace. Political tensions increased in Haiti, Guinea-Bissau and Moldova, where protests over endemic corruption and a lack of confidence in the government could escalate. In Africa, Boko Haram’s deadly attacks increased in northern Cameroon, and Burkina Faso was hit by an unprecedented terror attack.

Next week, Mozambique, formerly one of the world’s most heavily mined countries, will formally declare it has completed mine clearance on its territory, the 29th country to do so since the 1990s. This leaves 60 countries and territories still contaminated according to Clearing the Mines, a review of mine action programmes around the world published today by Norwegian People’s Aid. The report’s authors have calculated that by 2020 another 20 countries should have completed mine clearance and the urgent humanitarian threat removed from the other 40.

2014 was a devastating year with record numbers of people living in internal displacement induced by conflict, violence, disasters and natural hazards. Meeting the immense needs generated by these calamities remains one of the most challenging humanitarian tasks faced by the international community in modern times. To address these serious situations, IDMC in 2014 published 20 country overviews, 2 global reports, 8 thematic/technical reports, 32 blogs, 8 briefing/discussion papers, 22 submissions to human rights bodies.